Brassiere



Aug. 31, 1965 s. G. GARUTSO 3,203,424

BRASSIERE Filed Aug. 6. 1964 ww/aw United States Patent 3,203,424 BRAEaSllERE Sonia G. Garutso, 718% Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 46, Caiif. Filed Aug. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 387,937 1 Ciaim. (Cl. 128492) This invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 196,173 filed May 21, 1962 now Patent No. 3,149,635, and relates to brassieres and more particularly to the provision of a cover means for the breast receiving cups of a brassiere and still more particularly to a fastening means with the lower edges of such covers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in the brassiere a separate cover for each of the cups thereof and a fastening means for the lower edge of the cups which is infinitely variable whereby comfortable conformity to the breast may be achieved by the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover means of the above character which may be incorporated in a brassiere without necessarily requiring any reconstruction of the brassiere, per se, for the addition of the improvement constituting the present invention.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such additional objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts described, by way of example, in the following specification of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which form a part of said specification and in which drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a typical brassiere having the cover of the present invention applied thereto, one of the covers being shown in partially removed form to illustrate the mode of detachably securing the lower edge thereof to the body encircling band structure of the brassiere,

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged front elevational view of the cup portion of the brassiere at the left hand side of FIG. 1, the cover means being secured in place in the portion thereof being broken away to disclose structure otherwise concealed, the figure also showing in broken lines by way of illustration, different degrees of adjustment, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional views taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing, respectively, maximum and minimum degrees of adjustment.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as applied to a brassiere having a body encircling band structure 1 provided with fastening means 2 and 2. at the ends thereof at the back of the wearer and at the front thereof having breast receiving cups, one of which is shown at 3. A pair of supporting straps 4 extend from the outer side of each of the cups to the center front of the brassiere and are arched above the respective cups and a pair of shoulder straps 4, 4' extend from the midlength of the straps 4, 4 to the rear portion of the band 1 at opposite sides of the fastening means 2 and 2.

The present invention is the provision of a fabric cover 5 of suitable concavo-convex configuration and somewhat circular as viewed in plan for each cup of the brassiere; the said concavo-convex configuration being that which will accommodate the size of brassiere cups to which the invention is applied. The upper edge of each c-up conforms to the shape and length of the associated strap 4 and the lower peripheral portion of the cover generally conforms to the configuration of the seam line joining the lower edge of the cup to the body band structure.

The upper edge of the cover 5 is connected to the strap 4 by a bar tack and equivalent stitching as at 6 at about the point of juncture of that strap with the buckle means 3,23,424 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 7 by which the length of the shoulder strap 4' is adjusted. The lower edge of the cover 5 is detachably connected to the band structure 1 along the seam line joining the lower edge of the cup to the band structure by a fastening means commonly known as Velcro and, as herein employed, comprising a relatively wide strip 8 of loosely felted fibrous material sewn to the body band structure with the inner edge of the strip disposed overlying or closely adjacent to the seam joining the cup to the body band, said strip being adapted to cooperate with the other component of the Velcro comprising a complementary strip 9, preferably of less width than the strip 8 and comprising a fabric backing carrying a plurality of hook elements adapted by pressure on the outer surface to enter the felted strip 8 and to engage the fibers thereof until forcibly pulled apart.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, it will be noted that when the lower edge of the cover is positioned on the strip 8 in the position designated a in FIG. 2 and in section in FIG. 3, the cover will cooperate with the cup to accommodate a slightly larger breast than when in the position shown at b in FIG. 2 and in section in FIG. 4, wherein the adjustment of the cover will cooperate with the cup to accommodate a slightly smaller breast. Thus the user can effect a limited but satisfactory amount of adjustment to more exactly achieve a desired fit in support, it being noted that the Velcro mode of attaching the lower edges of the cover and brassiere together afford adjustment either laterally or vertically as the user may find to be comfortable.

While in the foregoing specification there has been disclosed a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the precise details of construction thus shown by way of example. Accordingly, the invention is not to be deemed to be limited to the precise details shown by way of example but to include as well all such changes and modifications as shall come within the purview of the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination with a brassiere having a body encircling band and cup components secured thereto, of separate, detachable cover means for each of said cup components; each of said cover means comprising a flexible fabric base conforming generally to the configuration of the associated cup and the upper portion of a breast supported by the cup, means attaching the cover to the brassiere directly above the associated cup, and interengaging fastening means carried and extending along the lower edge of the cover and the portion of the brassiere structure generally conforming to the line of juncture of the cup component with the band component operable to detachably secure the lower edge of said cover to the brassiere in infinite amounts within a range of adjustment laterally and vertically determined by the width of said fastening means; said fastening means comprising a strip of loosely felted Velcro material secured to the brassiere along the line of juncture of the brassiere cup component with said body encircling band and a strip of the hook component of the Velcro material of less width than said first named loosely felted strip extending along the complementary lower edge of said detachable cover means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,666,919 1/54 Spangard 128-460 3,086,529 4/63 Munz et a1 128171 3,109,431 11/63 Jefferson 128-460 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

